Business Leadership for Communicators Boot Camp

@@You won’t want to miss PR News’ Business Leadership for Communicators Boot Camp on March 14 in D.C., where our experienced speakers will show you what it takes to run a profitable agency or in-house PR department. From these experienced trainers you will gain an understanding of the business management techniques necessary to make your PR efforts a successful venture.

In many ways public relations is an art form, but to be successful in PR, you need real business knowledge. Your ability to handle financial matters, employee relations and communications, relationships with clients and the inevitable surprises of life in the marketplace will determine whether your venture in PR will succeed or fail.

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Speakers

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Agenda

9:00 - 9:15 a.m. Registration and Networking Breakfast

9:25 - 9:30 a.m. Opening Remarks

9:30 - 10:45 a.m. Think Like a CEO: How to Take a Business-Minded Approach to PR

We’ll start the day with an in-depth look at what takes place in the C-suite. You will learn what keeps a CEO up at night in this frank discussion with business leaders, and the information they use to inform their business decisions. PR pros will walk away from this session with a greater appreciation of what it takes to make a business profitable and a stronger sense of how best to serve their clients.

You'll learn how to:

• Incorporate hard business concerns like budgets and ROI into your daily PR decisions
• Understand the details of your company’s budget and the allocation of resources
• Communicate effectively and regularly with all the C-level officers of your company
• Create informative reports on your PR efforts that address the goals and concerns of the C-suite
• Listen to the business concerns of your clients and incorporate them into your communications strategy
• Gain an understanding of your company’s position in the marketplace and use that to inform your PR efforts
• Develop near- and long-term goals for your PR operation that are in line with the broader goals of the company

Kate Finley
President and CEO
Belle Communications, Inc.
@KateUpdates
Sharon Reis
Partner
GYMR Public Relations
@GYMRPR

Jill Zuckman
Managing Director
SKDKnickerbocker
@JZuckman

10:45 - 11:00 a.m. Networking Break

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. How to Be the Leader You Want to Work For

The success of your PR shop is in many ways dependent on how you lead it. This session will focus on leadership communication skills including employee relations, internal messaging strategies, managing conflicts and problem-solving strategies.

You'll learn how to:

• Motivate your team to work together to achieve a stated goal
• Manage your time and resources to effectively meet your goals
• Analyze a given business environment, its challenges and opportunities
• Adapt to unexpected developments and set new priorities on the fly
• Anticipate potential conflicts and develop a means to diffuse them
• Create a professional environment that respects employees’ personal lives

Sharron Silvers
Senior Director, Corporate & Financial Practice
Burson-Marsteller
@B_M
Denise Vitola
Managing Director
Makovsky
@DeniseVitola
@Makovsky

12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Power Lunch

12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. How to Be an Effective Public Speaker

Being a good business leader means being able to project a confident presence in public. In this session, you will learn tips and strategies for conquering your fear of public speaking and becoming a natural communicator in front of a crowd.

You'll learn how to:

• Prepare appropriate remarks for any given situation
• Use personal storytelling to build a rapport with listeners
• Share your message in a variety of settings, including press conferences, pitch meetings, media interviews, conferences and events
• Field difficult questions while remaining on message
• Manage your time and your words effectively

Saptosa Foster
Principal
The 135th Street Agency
@135StAgency
Jonathan Rick
President
The Jonathan Rick Group
@jrick

1:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Networking Break

2:00 - 2:45 p.m. The Components of a Winning PR Team

If a business leader is only as good as the team they work with, then choosing that team is a task that will require skill and concentration. This session will explore how to spot and cultivate talent among your communications team and how to delegate responsibilities.

You'll learn how to:

• Identify team member strengths and weaknesses and assign responsibilities accordingly
• Enhance your team’s communication skills on social media
• Keep your team focused and productive in challenging situations
• Prioritize and assign tasks with a reduced staff
• Turn failure into a positive learning experience
• Create a system of self-assessment to monitor your team’s progress on specific and long-term goals

Marisa Long
Communications Director
U.S. Green Building Council
@USGBC
Erin Streeter
Senior Vice President of Communications
National Association of Manufacturers
@ShopFloorNAM

2:45 - 3:30 p.m. How to Build a Lasting Business Relationship

Whether you are in an agency working with a client or in-house answerable to the C-suite, you need to be able to communicate effectively and deliver what is promised. This session will focus on the dynamics of the business relationship with your boss/client, how to avoid making promises you can’t keep, what to listen and look for in a client request and more.

You'll learn how to:

• Establish and maintain an open dialogue with your boss/client
• Manage expectations to avoid overpromising and under delivering
• Prioritize client needs and avoid taking on unnecessary tasks
• Provide comfort and confidence to clients in crisis situations
• Build a network within and beyond your organization that continuously draws new business opportunities

Megan DiSciullo
PR Director | Markets, Sectors and Firmwide Leader
PwC
@meggiedisc

3:30-3:45 p.m. Closing Remarks and Key Takeaways

After an information-packed day, we present the key takeaways and ask you to share your own essential takeaways that you'll be applying the very next day when you're back in the office.

Certificates will be presented to attendees.

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Pricing

The Full Access Pass includes the Business Leadership Boot Camp for Communicators on March 14 and the CSR, Nonprofit and Diversity Awards Luncheon on March 15, also at the National Press Club. Special discounts available for nonprofit/government professionals, as well as PR News subscribers. Group pricing is for two or more individuals. View the full pricing list here. For questions, reach out to Jessica Placencia at [email protected].

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PR News Certificate in Social Media :

Each PR News Digital PR/Social Media boot camp you attend will come with points toward your Certificate in Digital PR. Once you attend 4 PR News boot camps or conferences within a 24-month period, you will earn your Certificate and become a PR News Digital PR Master. This elite group of PR Professionals, PR News Digital PR Masters, will receive industry recognition as being one of the top Digital PR Pros. PR News will honor an annual class of Digital PR Masters at one of its signature events. As a PR News Digital Master, you will also receive exclusive benefits, such as discounted rates on all PR News products and events. There is no additional fee to earn points or to receive your Certificate. It is the goal of PR News to provide this one-of-a-kind opportunity to our PR community while raising the bar on digital communications excellence and showcasing top talent in this key area of PR.

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Testimonials from Past PR News Conferences:

• This was a great event.  Not only were the speakers knowledgeable and engaging, but the attendees were awesome.  And networking was great! --Communications Manager, CIGNA
• Great conference, speakers and venue! Loved the clean, candid approach of all speakers towards the challenging environment of social media. – External Relations, US Operations and Marketing North America, Procter & Gamble
• The ability to download PDFs of the presentations is awesome. It will be great to share with colleagues who were unable to attend. – Associate Vice President, Finn Partners
• I learned more in one day than I’ve learned all year! -  Director, New Media, American Heart Association
• I was so impressed with the overall event. The quality of the presentations was top-notch, and the ability to network with like-minded people during the breaks and at lunch was invaluable. – Director, Global Media Relations, SAP AG
• This was one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended. – Social Media Manager, Nautica
• I thought it was incredibly relevant to the audience. I walked away with several key ideas that I can’t wait to implement on my clients behalf. -Chief Public Affairs Officer, Clemson University
• Wonderful and insightful event in which I would like to have my entire team participate, including some clients.
  -Account Executive, Digital Brand Architects
• Great event! I’m taking away valuable information and am excited to put the new knowledge to use! Well executed. Thanks! -Communications and Organizational Effectiveness Analyst, Hostess Brands, Inc.
• Amazing speakers. Relevant case studies. I went back to the office literally with a fire hose of apps to investigate. Also, great ideas for companies with low budgets. -Sr. Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications, MTN

Each registration comes with the materials provided by the speakers and a personalized certificate of completion for attending the Business Leadership Boot Camp.

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Speakers

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